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Postoperative analgesia for Kasai portoenterostomy using external oblique intercostal blocks
  1. Nigel Wilkinson-Maitland1,
  2. Aaron J Cunningham2 and
  3. Mohammad Esfahanian1
  1. 1 Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Division of Pediatric Anesthesiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, USA
  2. 2 Department of Surgery, Division of Pediatric Surgery, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California, USA
  1. Correspondence to Dr Mohammad Esfahanian, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Division of Pediatric Anesthesiology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA 94304, USA; esfahanm{at}stanford.edu

Abstract

Background External Oblique Intercostal (EOI) fascial plane blockade is a relatively new regional anesthetic technique used for a variety of upper abdominal surgical procedures. Proponents of this block praise its simple sonoanatomy, extensive local anesthetic (LA) spread, and ease of catheter placement, while avoiding encroachment into the surgical field or dressing sites; nevertheless, it is underutilized in pediatric surgery. Kasai portoenterostomy is a common pediatric surgical procedure for biliary atresia typically done via an open abdominal approach with an extended subcostal incision. Postoperative analgesic management with epidural anesthetic techniques are considered but may be limited by periprocedural coagulopathy concerns.

Case Presentation We present a case of a neonate who underwent successful analgesic management of Kasai portoenterostomy with bilateral EOI block catheters. Opioid consumption and other postoperative outcomes were comparative to previously reported literature of epidural analgesia in this patient population.

Conclusions The purpose of this report is to describe the outcomes and technical approach in a neonate who received EOI blocks as an alternative to epidural anesthetic management. Further studies are needed to compare the efficacy and complication rate of EOI blockade to epidural analgesia for Kasai portoenterostomy surgery.

  • regional anesthesia
  • pain, postoperative
  • nerve block
  • pediatrics

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Footnotes

  • Contributors ME, NW-M and AJC substantially contributed to the conception, design, and drafting of this manuscript and approved its final version for publication. ME is the corresponding author and guarantor, and accepts full responsibility for the finished work and/or the conduct of the study, had access to the data, and controlled the decision to publish.

  • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

  • Competing interests None declared.

  • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.